How to Set Goals So You Can Be #Goals

As we start the first week of our SLEIGH the Holiday Challenge (if you haven’t gotten in on it yet, there’s still plenty of time! Sign up here!), close out 2017, and start looking forward to a New Year, it’s the time of year a lot of us start setting goals. Ya know, #newyearnewyou and all that jazz. Well, there’s some crazy statistic that only 8% of people are successful in their New Year’s Resolutions! We are NOT going to let you fall into the 92% that fail- we’ve got you, girl!!

In order to set you up for success, I wanted share some of my best goal setting tips. If you’ve all been following along here for a while, you may already know, I am allllll about goal setting. It has been so important in not only my personal health and fitness journey, but also in every other aspect of my life, most notably starting and growing this awesome community with all you girls.

So, without further ado, here are my best tips for setting, and achieving your goals, whether it’s for the New Year, or just any ol’ day you decide to make a change! Because, let’s not forget, it’s never too late to decide to take the first step in transforming your life!

How to Set Goals that You Can Sleigh, No Matter the Day!

Take the time

Plan out time to get away, out of your usual grind, in order to focus solely on your goal. Think of what you want to achieve and really envision it. Is it a healthier, fitter you? Is it a new job? Maybe a new career altogether? Moving abroad? The possibilities are literally endless, so take time to think about what you want, what you really want, and truly envision it.

By taking the time to step away from your day-to-day routine, your normal environment, you allow yourself to dream a little bigger. You avoid the opportunity to fall into the normal way of doing things and instead give yourself permission to approach things differently.

Change your scenery, change your approach!

It could be something as simple as going to a different coffee shop that day, but do something out of the ordinary. Unplug from your emails, social media… heck, even turn off your phone <gasp!> to really get in the zone and be distraction free. Give yourself the space to dream!

Every year we do an LSF Planning Meeting where dream up all the amazing things we want to do in the coming year. Normally it’s Ryan and I sitting around our kitchen table for a long weekend, but this year we’ve added to the team and our goals are way too big for the kitchen.

Taking my own advice, we decided we needed a change of scenery to get the creative juices flowing. You don’t need to fly to a remote Island (although that’s totally cool too), but getting out of your normal space can totally help you be able to focus on the future and not get derailed.

We didn’t go far, but oh my gosh it made all the difference in the world. This year, we headed down to road for a quick 2 day retreat at the Pacific Edge Hotel in Laguna Beach.

The rooms at Pacific Edge are like having your own little beachfront cottage. It’s right on the sand so you get full ocean views (obviously necessary to help you clear you mind) and beach access just outside of your room.

We’ve been going to The Deck, for sunset cocktails for years, but have never actually stayed at the resort so it was so fun to feel like tourist at home for a couple of days.

They also have incredible bungalows they rent out for parties and events, but we were able to use them for our meetings and OMG were they perfect.

I’ve never realized how important the right space is when you’re trying to set goals and get creative, but it makes all the difference in the world!

The first bungalow was totally LSF. Beachy, tropical, vibrant vibes with a bikini arcade game inside. WHAT!?! No I did not win one… better luck next time I guess.

They have amazing healthy food and drinks which was great so we didn’t have to interrupt the brainstorming to figure out where or what to do for food. That’s seriously the worst. When you’re totally into your work, but know you should stop to eat, but also don’t want to ruin the flow by stopping. It’s the little things that are big thangs ya know?

Being at the beach, away from the daily tasks at home, with incredible views and an amazing physical space to work in truly made such a difference for us this year. I’ve always had a vision for LSF and dreams about what I want to see for our incredible community, but this year is different. Getting a change of scenery allowed us to take a new approach and really hone in on those goals and begin to create a plan to make them happen.

YAY! You set your vision… now what?!

Repeat After Me: Micro-goals

It’s not just about picking a goal; it’s about setting steps along the way. Think of setting micro-goals as setting yourself up for success! The problem that so many of us fall into (uh, hello 92% of New Year’s Resolutions failing!) is that we set a lofty, ambitious goal – which is great! – but then we have zero follow through. If we don’t have the steps in place that will get us to the big, shiny end goal, we’re almost always setting ourselves up for failure. No bueno.

Good news- I have the solution. MICRO-GOALS! Repeat after me… micro-goals… micro-goals…

Now, these are not usually the sexy, shiny, oo lala goals that we’re all lusting after. Nope. Usually, they’re not the things you brag to your friends and family about but they are so important! And honestly, they’re something that we should be bragging to our friends and families about!

For instance, let’s say you want to become fluent in another language. Wow! What an incredible goal that can open up so many possibilities in your life! Travel, new friends, new culture! So, so cool. But, where to start!? Can you say OVERWHELMING!?

Well, you don’t have to- because you know the mantra. MICRO-GOALS! Maybe goal número uno (see what I did there!?) is downloading an app that will teach you – easy peasy and YAY you did it! Next, you may decide to set aside thirty minutes per day to learn and study, uninterrupted. Swap out some HGTV time for enriching your life with a new language and culture? That’s totally doable! Third, you may set a goal that in one month, you’ll go to the authentic restaurant and place your order in the food’s native language! Yummy AND do-able.

By making these smaller goals within the big, giant goal, you set yourself up for success. Not only are you giving yourself milestones to work towards that are achievable, but also you are giving yourself opportunities to celebrate your hard work along the way, which is not only warranted, but necessary!

Double Dipping

While this is strictly a no-no at parties, it’s perfectly acceptable, or even encouraged, as far as achieving your goals! Let me explain…

Let’s say you have the goal of moving to a new city. Since I was recently in Miami and fell in loooooove, let’s say Miami! (Don’t worry, Cali, I’m not going anywhere!) Well, you’re probably not going to just up and move tomorrow… so how do you make your goal a reality? Micro-goals will help get you there, but to get the most bang for your buck, double dip! One of your micro-goals might be finding a job in Miami. This puts you well on your way to moving: now, you not only want to, but you have a means of making it a reality. A job makes you move there and pays your bills once ya get there!

Categorizing your goals helps you see overlap and getting more bang for your buck! Double dip the heck out of goals whenever you can, ladies! It will help get you where you’re looking to be faster!

Let’s Break It Down… LSF Style

So many of us set health goals when the New Year hits, and I am among you ladies! While my goals aren’t losing weight anymore (but you can read all about my health transformation here or here), I still have them! And over here at #teamlsf, we’ve got you covered for whatever your next goal might be: dropping lbs., getting stronger, growing a booty, or just making healthier choices- we gotchu, girl!

The easiest way to do this is to check out our starter kit here and find the bundle that helps you meet your goals. Don’t forget to stay plugged into the amazing, inspiring LSF community with check-ins on Instagram. Plus, don’t forget to tag us @teamlsf and @lovesweatfitness for extra motivation, accountability, and inspo!

So, What’s YOUR Goal?

Now you’ve got all my best tips and tricks to set and achieve your goals… so put it to work! What goals are you setting for yourself for this weekend? The end of this year? How will you make the next few weeks and months the best yet? Drop a comment below to let us know what goals you’re going to #sleigh this holiday season! And remember… you’vegot this, girl!